The most effective transfer of energy, over coax, occurs when all the parts of the system have the same impedance. For instance, a transmitter, interconnecting cable, and receiver should all have matching impedance. This need for impedance coordinating is especially critical at higher frequencies, where the consequences of mismatches are more critical.

The most frequent type of coax used, called Flexible Coax, which is a flexible cable and it uses a braided shield of incredibly fine wires. This braid helps to make the coax flexible, but at a cost: energy or RF (radio frequency) signals leak by means of the small gaps in the braid. To eliminate this attenuation

(energy loss), manufacturers have added several layers of braid and placed thin foil among the layers. This provides better coverage for more significant shielding effectiveness. We normally use a quad shield (two layers of braid, two of foil) for 75-ohm applications.

Recognizing how to install and terminate coax cable correctly is critical to obtaining impedance matching. Understanding the selection of the best available materials greatly increases overall performance.

Despite the fact that coax makes up a small percentage of our total installations, it is still a critical element of the infrastructure puzzle for all our customers. Coax has been the medium of choice for high fidelity audio, television, satellite and broadband communications.